By Devin Adams

Fordham Volleyball returned to the Bronx to host A-10 opponent Duquesne University on Oct. 9. Unfortunately for the Rams, they lost 1-3. The Rams then hosted La Salle University on Oct. 10, and this time the Rams were able to get the win 3-2.

The Rams had their last game of a three game home series on Oct. 13 against the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks. The Mountain Hawks came into the game 11-9 and were going to be a tough matchup for the Fordham Rams. In the first set, Fordham remained competitive behind strong team play; with the Rams down 7-6, there were four different Rams players with kills.

Fordham continued its strong team play. When the Rams fell behind 18-13, they were able to rally behind three kills and an ace, all from different Fordham players, closing the gap to 18-17. The Mountain Hawks held off the Fordham Rally though, and took the set 25-22. In the second set, Fordham fell behind early, dropping 6-3 to the Mountain Hawks, but rallied behind two kills from junior Kristen Ostach, and were able to take the lead 7-6. The second set continued to be a tough one, with both teams trading the lead the whole way. When Fordham was down 24-22 facing a set point, freshman Natalie Martinez got back to back kills to tie the game 24-24. Despite the tough fight, the Rams dropped the set to the Mountain Hawks 26-24.

The Rams continued their tough fight into the third set, taking a 6-5 lead. After that the Mountain Hawks gained momentum, although the Rams tried to rally on a scoring streak bringing the score to 21-15. The Mountain Hawks closed out the game 25-18 and completed the sweep 3-0. Martinez finished the game leading the Rams with 12 kills, and sophomore Emily Fronk led the team with 29 assists. Other leaders of the game include sophomore Sarah Skelton, who led the team with two blocks, and freshman Brenna Jones, who led with 12 digs.

Fordham Volleyball then traveled to Kingston, RI on October 17 to face the University of Rhode Island. This was another tough opponent for the Rams, as URI came into the game with an overall record 13-6. The Rams were overwhelmed early on, falling behind 9-3 to start the first set. Although they were able to find their groove a little later and get some points, Fordham ultimately dropped the first set to URI 25-16. Fordham continued to be overwhelmed in the second set losing 25-12. In the third set Fordham found its groove. With the game tied at 22, Fordham finished the game and won the set 25-23.
Although the third set was more competitive, Fordham dropped the set 25-18 to URI, and ultimately, URI took home the win 3-1. Jones led the team with 15 kills, Fronk led with 30 assists and senior Brennan Delsing led the team with 14 digs.

Fordham is 8-16 after the weekend, and their next game is on Oct. 23 in Fairfax, Virginia against George Mason University.
When asked about her upcoming opponents, senior Brennan Delsing said, “We definitely have some tough matchups coming up, but we’re really excited to take them on as a team and accept the challenge they’re going to offer us. We did a lot of good things last weekend, and we’re excited to carry those things over this weekend.”